EU Exit is ‘Imaginable’, Cameron
Prime Minister David Cameron has admit- choices." ted for the first time that he can imagine Cameron, however, stressed withdrawal Britain quitting the European Union (EU). was not his "preference". He wanted Britain to stay in the EU and to renegotiate reHe talked about the prospect of Britain lations with the EU- based in Belgium- to pulling out of the EU after MPs grilled him seize back key powers. about last week's Brussels summit. The British prime minister said he would Asked if he could envisage Britain leaving make a long-awaited speech in January, the EU, Cameron said "all futures for Brit- spelling out his EU ain" were "imaginable". "We are in charge vision. of our own destiny, we can make our own
Regular Checks on Doctors Begin
Radical changes to the way doctors are checked to ensure they are safe to treat patients came into force last month. This is an important day for doctors and patients. We are confident that over time revalidation will make a significant contribution to the quality of care that patients receive.
annual appraisal and the information doctors will collect about their practice, including feedback from patients, doctors, nurses and other colleagues. The UK is the first country in the world to introduce such a system across its whole healthcare system, covering GPs, hospital doctors, locums and those working in the independent sector. To keep their licence to practise, doctors will be required to revalidate on a regular basis, usually every five years.
The new system of checks - known as revalidation - will be run by the General Medical Council (GMC) and means the UK's 230,000 licensed doctors are now legally required to show they are keeping up To kick off the new checks, the to date and are fit to practise. GMC will today start writing to 13,000 doctors telling them when The new system is based on an they will revalidate. The rest of the
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UK’s licensed doctors will be written to by the end of January 2013. The GMC expects to revalidate the majority of licensed doctors by March 2016, with medical leaders expected to go first.
England: • Registered and licensed doctors 2011: 177,659 • Over 90% of doctors are connected to designated bodies that are ready or very close to being ready for revalidation. (A ‘designated body’ is a UK organisation which will provide a doctor with a regular appraisal and help them
with revalidation) • The percentage of doctors linked to designated bodies who have had an annual appraisal rose from 63% in March 2011 to 73% in March 2012.
Jinnah - Founder of Pakistan Remembered on 136th Birth Anniversary
Pakistan paid homage on 25th December, to its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah on his 136th birth anniversary through special events organised on the occasion. President Asif Ali Zardari, provincial governors, chief ministers, political leaders and the commoners visited his mausoleum in the port city of Karachi to pay their tributes. Zardari laid a floral wreath on his grave. "Let us re-pledge today to fight to finish the demons of extremism and militancy that seek to strike Pakistan," the president said. The newspapers, TV channels and radio stations aired special programmes all day long. On the visitors' book the president wrote: "We pledge today to uphold the democratic values for which Pakistan was created. I call upon the people to join hands in fighting the mind-set that is seeking to destroy our nationhood and democracy." Jinnah led a movement in 1947 to curve out a separate nation for the Muslims from the Indian sub-continent.
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